


Whumpty Dumpty 2020

by MyLya200



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Hurt Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Knights (Merlin), Protective Merlin (Merlin), Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26767993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyLya200/pseuds/MyLya200
Summary: This is my collection of Whumptober 2020 ficlets for Merlin. I have plans to do a chapter for each prompt, so individual summaries will be in the author's notes! Please enjoy!Chapter 1: Let's Hang Out SometimeChapter 2: In the Hands of the Enemy
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Kudos: 30
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Let's Hang Out Sometime

**Author's Note:**

> Number 1: Let’s Hang Out Sometime
> 
> Waking up restrained/shackled/hanging
> 
> Alternative: Merlin doesn't know how long he has been hanging there. He doesn't know if anyone is coming after him.

His body shook violently from the cold and the pain. Merlin looked on blearily through slitted eyelids. It was dark, and he was weakened from being separated from his magic for so long. He didn’t know how long it had been, but surely someone was coming for him, surely… 

And yet as he thought of Arthur, his would-be savior, he remembered the anger when he discovered his magic, the fear in his eyes when he saw what Merlin could do, the pains of betrayal that he tried to mask with angry words as he pushed Merlin away. And so Merlin ran, at first for his life and then to run from a pleading king trying to warn him against doing something stupid. By that point, it was too late, and the last thing Merlin saw before he was taken by the renegade Druids was the pure anguish in Arthur’s eyes as Merlin used the last of his strength to send him flying to the other side of the river, safe from the Druids who only wanted him and his power and were uninterested in the king. 

That was days ago, perhaps even weeks. His arms were in constant agony from being strung up to the ceiling in this cell. He often had nightmares of being burned at the stake, and yet he didn’t think any pain could compare to this. He prayed to the gods for some reprieve, be it rescue or be it death. Merlin didn’t really care. He just wanted this to end. 

Then with a sudden bang, the door burst open. Light flooded into the room, and Merlin was being cradled to a familiar blond’s chest. Merlin was shivering even as another knight’s cloak was being thrown over them, enveloping him in warmth and safety. Despite himself, despite everything, tears sprung to Merlin’s eyes, though Arthur didn’t try to shush him like he always did when he cried. 

He was safe. He was safe. 

And yet every sound following his rescue was enough to make him jump out of his boots. Every sudden movement brought him back to that place. Every shiver was a constant reminder of the pain that Merlin endured. He couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes anymore, and he withdrew into himself, his hands still finding his wrists where the bruises faded and the scars remained. Someday he would leave that place behind for good, but for now, even within the safety of Camelot and under the watchful eyes of his friends, he still could not convince himself that he was safe at all. 


	2. In the Hands of the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Number Two: In the Hands of the Enemy
> 
> “Pick Who Dies”/Collars/Kidnapped
> 
> Alternative: Arthur is horrified when he finds Merlin, who has been missing for weeks, at a slavers' auction.

For a week Arthur had been in the worst possible mood, though he would deny it with harsh words if anyone pointed it out. Only those who were close to him knew what was the culprit behind his anger, and quite frankly everyone who knew felt the same. For the last week, Merlin was missing. Merlin, their bubbly innocent friend who never failed to put a smile on anyone’s face. He might have just been a servant, but to Arthur, Gaius, Gwen, and the Knights of the Round Table, he was family, and they would like to get him back. 

However, not in this way. Initially Arthur planned a rescue mission, complete with swords and loyal knights whose primary objective was to sneak Merlin away unharmed, and they could return to finish off those who harmed him afterwards. He wasn’t planning on this, to be facing Merlin from the other side of the bars at a slavers’ auction hall. Had Merlin lost weight since the last time he had seen him? A band of cool metal was weighing down his friend’s neck, chaining him in place so he could not run away. It took every ounce of Arthur’s willpower to not pounce on the nearest slaver and demand for Merlin’s release, though the thought became more tempting as one passed him by. 

To make matters worse, it was while Arthur was staring at him that Merlin decided to wake up. He pushed himself up groggily, but he could only get so far before the chain pulled him back down again. Arthur feared to know what Merlin was thinking now, though he could only hope that Merlin recognized him before he was ushered away to give someone else a chance to “examine” him like he was a piece of produce for sale in a farmer’s market. 

_ Just hang on, Merlin.  _

He had no interest in looking at the other slaves now that he knew where Merlin was, though perhaps if he got a chance he would free the rest. If not, once Merlin was safe and sound, he could return to this place with more knights than he initially brought with him to burn it all to the ground. One thing was for sure, he would never let these slavers take one of his people ever again. 

Arthur willed himself to wait until nightfall to make his bid to rescue Merlin because he was sure that the Knights would be angry if they were left out, though he felt as though he were abandoning him as he put more steps between himself and Merlin’s cell, Merlin’s bleary blue eyes boring into his back. 


End file.
